Maharashtra promotes itself with ‘a country in a state’ model

Dilip Gawade, director, Maharastra Tourism along with other dignitaries during the inauguration of the roadshow

Maharashtra Tourism has been vigorously promoting tourism in the state and in order to strengthen their outreach in east India, they conducted a roadshow in Kolkata this Saturday.

Maharashtra Tourism hosted a roadshow in Kolkata on November 30, to present and promote their new flexible packages designed and tailored by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation including their resorts, with impeccable locations and views. They wanted to enhance their growth in domestic tourism by strengthening their outreach by connecting with travel and trade industry of east India.

The roadshow was hosted as a substantial informative event and was chaired by the presence of Dilip Gawade, director, directorate of tourism, government of Maharashtra and Shrimant Harkar, deputy director, directorate of tourism – Aurangabad. It was attended by representatives of Association of Tourism Service Providers of Bengal, Eastern Himalaya Travels & Tours Operators Association, Bengal Travel Agents Association, Association of Domestic Tour Operators of India and Indian Association of Tour Operators.

Maharashtra Tourism along with its associated partners presented their products and connected with around 100 travel and trade companies at the B2B event which preceded the presentation and cultural programme.

Speaking at the occasion, Dilip Gawade, director, directorate of tourism, government of Maharashtra, said, “Our state of Maharashtra which is also known as ‘Gateway to the Heart of India’ has a wide plethora of attractions. It is adorned by the beautiful Sahyadri ranges of the Western Ghats with high mountains that disappear into the morning mist, while the sprawling belt of the Konkan Coast mesmerises everyone with its long-spread beaches.”

“There are forts, caves and forests which are home to some of the most unique wildlife, flora and fauna. The temples, palaces, shrines in Maharashtra speak about the age-old legacy of religions, spirituality, culture and heritage that give the state its unique identity. As a part of our continuous endeavour to promote tourism in the state, we are inviting our brothers and sisters from the East to come and visit the state and be a part of the magnificent experience that the region will offer,” Gawade adds.

Maharashtra Tourism showcased all its east targeted tourism sectors like wildlife tourism, beach tourism, heritage tourism and religious tourism. They also showcased their tourism sectors like wine tourism which are popular with international tourists and are slowly gaining momentum amongst Indian travellers.

Srimant Harkar further added that it is exciting to see such an enthusiastic response from the travel industry in the city. Aurangabad is the pride of Maharashtra, which attracts tourists and heritage enthusiast from all over the world.

While talking exclusively to Media India Group about film tourism in Maharashtra with Mumbai being the Bollywood hub, Gawade said, “We are promoting film tourism as we have Goregaon Film City in Mumbai and a new museum (National Museum of Indian Cinema) was inaugurated by our Prime Minister at the beginning of this year. In the museum, the whole history of Bollywood from its first film to everything till date is available. So that is another information centre in Mumbai and we are promoting it. And it is not only about Bollywood but also films from all regions of India.”

The message that Maharashtra Tourism wants to present that they have the tourism possibilities of “A Country in a State” and this will attract a lot of attention to the products the state has to offer.